Sonoma County CA separates elderly gay couple and sells all their possessions

[Msterbeau]

http://www.bilerico.com/2010/04/sonoma_county_ca_separates_elderly_gay_couple_and.php

"Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place--wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health.

One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives alone, Clay should have been consulted in Harold's care from the first moment. Tragically, county and health care workers instead refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county then ultimately went one step further by isolating the couple from each other, placing the men in separate nursing homes.

Ignoring Clay's significant role in Harold's life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold's "roommate." The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold's bank accounts to pay for his care.

What happened next is even more chilling...."

More from The Daily Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/4/18/858381/-Elderly-gay-couple-kept-apart-at-the-end-of-ones-life

The outrageousness of the counties actions in this are just unbelievable. They went well beyond just ignoring clear legal paperwork giving the healthy partner visitation rights and power of attorney, they utterly destroyed the last days he had with this person and ruined them financially. I hope justice, and then some, prevails on those responsible.

[TitsMcGee]

This is so horrible. I can't believe with the proper legal paperwork in place to protect their rights, this couple was still denied. Sonoma County CA should be ashamed of themselves, and frankly should be sued for everything the county is worth

[Guest Megalicious]

I AM IN TEARS after reading that. How AWFUL. The crap, that is replaceable, and secondary (NOT that that is an excuse), but not being able to spend the last few months with the person you have loved and cherished for 20 years ... just fucking horrible. They should be more then ashamed of themselves.

And all for what? Money? Hatred of gays? Technicality? For the sake of being right? Asshats.

Sometimes I really wish I believed in hell ... just so I would feel some justification that people that are responsible for shit like this would be going there- instead all I feel is anger, intense anger. NO ONE should ever have to go through something like that -

[Simon Bar Sinister]

Somewhere out there, James Dobson, Alan Keyes and every other "morally superior" born-again piece of shit is doing cartwheels. Or at least wishing they still could. This is what they've been dreaming of.

[prick]

After reading this its hard to believe its 2010.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

After reading this I wonder how much of it's true . It is after all on Daily Kos and it's primary source is an editorial without links to any form of proof. Don't get me wrong, what it describes was a horrible series of events, I'm just unclear if they really happened.

[Msterbeau]

After reading this I wonder how much of it's true . It is after all on Daily Kos and it's primary source is an editorial without links to any form of proof. Don't get me wrong, what it describes was a horrible series of events, I'm just unclear if they really happened.

I Googled it and found it on a number of different sources.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

I Googled it and found it on a number of different sources.

All I found were blogs and websites likes this one.. and real news sources?

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Its a very sad story but I'd caution about being too credulous. The way it reads right from the start seems a bit like a conspiracy story with lots of emotional language to make for harrowing reading but not necessarily reality.

If it really happened like this it is horrible, I spent a few minutes trying to find a large news source but didn't find one. Not that there ISNT one, I just didn't find it.

If they really did have wills and all the associated documentation as listed, even the most gay-hating county would have to go WAY out of their way to be ass hats like that.

Sad, sad story regardless. :(

[taysteewonderbunny]

It seems highly unlikely to me that a nationally recognized and active legal institution would falsify a complaint. See the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)'s complaint filed with the Superior Court of Sonoma County here. It's 78 pages. That's going pretty far for a hoax.

This kind of thing CAN and DOES happen. It is why so many, gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered TOGETHER have fought to 1) put sexual identity/orientation as an acceptable category in anti-discrimination law, and 2) make same-sex (or other mixes of genders besides the hetero male to female) marriages legal.

People don't want to believe this kind of thing happens; I can understand why it isn't picked up by mainstream media. It may be possible, too, that the plaintiff is either not very sociable or camera friendly, despite his years in television production. (Factoid gleaned from scanning the complaint.) Who wants to listen to more gay whinging? /sarcasm

[phee]

I am just glad that we are still morally safe *yes that is sarcastic*